ucts; fish

Exports: $242.6 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports - commodities: engineering products, textiles and clothing,
production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals;
food, beverages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals

Exports - partners: EU 56% (Germany 16.5%, France 12.7%, UK 7.2%,
Spain 5.8%, Netherlands 2.9%), US 8.5% (1998)

Imports: $206.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports - commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport
equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles
and clothing; food, beverages and tobacco

Imports - partners: EU 61% (Germany 18.8%, France 13.12%, UK 6.47%,
Netherlands 6.2%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4.7%), US 5.1% (1998)

Debt - external: $45 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.3 billion (1997)

Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi

Exchange rates: euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999);
Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 - 1,688.7 (January 1999), 1,736.2 (1998),
1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced a common currency that is
now being used for non-cash transactions in some member countries at a
fixed rate of 1,936.27 lire per euro; the euro will replace the local
currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Italy:Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 25 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 17.7 million (1998)

Telephone system: modern, well-developed, fast; fully automated
telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of
5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat
(Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations: AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9
(1998)

Radios: 50.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 6,317 (of which only 117 have 2 kW or
more of transmitter power) (1997)

Televisions: 30.3 million (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 219 (1999)

@Italy:Transportation

Railways:
total: 19,394 km
standard gauge: 18,071 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS)
operates 16,014 km of the total standard gauge routes (11,322 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 112 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 1,211 km
0.950-m gauge (153 km electrified) (1998)

Highways: